Little Strawberry
by Mikashimotaku
Summary: Ichigo has had enough with her life. There's too much responsibility and pressure put on her as a teenager. On her birthday, she wishes to become little again. And with the help of a magic sweets candle, her wish comes true! 5 year old Ichigo is stubborn on leaving behind her life as a teenager, but can Kashino convince her to grow up? Kashigo included.


**Me: Hi! If anyone has ever seen my profile, you can see a whole list of stories I have in my head that I just want to write out! But again, if you have seen my profile, you see I have a lot of stories that sound so cool... But I never do them. **

**...**

**Well! This is one of them! I present to you, 'Little Strawberry'!**

**This has to be the longest thing I'm publishing at one time. Many of my stories are chapter stories, meaning, you have to wait for each chapter and I'm a really slow updater. Plus, sometimes I never feel like adding to a story anymore, and you guys might be immensely disappointed. So I thought, why not just make the whole story at once. HA. Easier said than done, I started this months ago and only finished now. Urgh, me and my stupid laziness. I hope you guys like it. Now here's 'Little Strawberry'! :)**

**Ichigo: Mikashi does not own Yumeiro Patissiere!**

* * *

Little Strawberry

"Amano-san!" Ichigo stopped abruptly, turning on her heel to look at her Sensei, who was walking down the path and gesturing at her.

"Yes Sensei?" She called back.

Her teacher smiled and handed her a folder, "Here, I wanted to give you this."

Ichigo frowned, "It's so heavy, what is it?"

"You're the leader for Team Ichigo right? I need you to fill out the grand prix forms."

She opened the folder, "S-sensei! There's so much to fill out though!"

"It's required for all team leaders," Sensei continued, flashing a sympathetic smile, she waved, "I've got to go deliver the rest of them." And then, she was gone.

Ichigo sighed, stuffing the folder into her already full backpack. She had tons of homework tonight, plus baking practise with the sweets princes, and now grand prix forms? Ichigo felt like there was a heavy weight on her shoulders.

Going back to her dorm, she shut the door and noticed Rumi wasn't there. Scrunching up her eyebrows, she walked over to her desk to drop off her book bag before running off to the kitchen classroom for team practise. There she found a note on a pink sticky written in Rumi's neat, open hand writing.

_Dear Ichigo-chan,_

_This is really last minute, but my parents asked me to come home for the week-end, remember how it was my turn to do vacuuming and general dorm clean up tomorrow? Mind doing it again for me? I'll pay you back, promise!_

_-Rumi :) _

Ichigo was annoyed, but what could she do? Honestly, her best friend was already gone, so she couldn't say no. Tacking the note to her cork board she groaned at how much stuff was already up there. So many assignments, tasks and studying reminders, she spent five minutes just looking for another spot to put up the sticky note. Glancing at the clock, she realized she was already 15 minutes late for practise, and surely, sadistic Kashino would chew her out for it. Wincing as she picture his response, she abandoned the thought of asking him to help her with her homework, and ran off towards the kitchen.

XxXxX

He had no patience. He even admitted it. Presently Kashino Makoto was pacing around the kitchen, an annoyed look on his face, his friends watching him from the counter. "Kashino, you know pacing won't make Ichigo-chan come any faster right?" Hanabusa asked.

"I know that," He snapped, "But honestly, what takes her so long?"

"Amano-san has a life you know," Andou answered, "She's probably busy doing something else, ever since she started working at Salon de Marie as well she's been awfully busy."

"Well, I work at Salon de Marie too, you don't see me coming late for practises," Kashino crossed his arms.

"But you're not team leader are you?" Hanabusa interjected, "They have more responsibility than us."

Kashino couldn't argue with that point, so instead he just scowled at his friends, before pacing the kitchen again.

Minutes later, the 15-year-old girl burst through the door, out of breath. "I'm so sorry for being late!" She apologized.

Kashino rolled his eyes, "Took you long enough, you're 20 minutes late!"

"I'm really sorry!" Ichigo replied, exasperated, "But Sensei stopped me to give me grand prix forms, and I had to tack Rumi-chan's note to my cork board... I'm busy okay?"

"We all are Amano," Kashino replied crossly, "But you're the only one who's ever late."

"Oh shut up!" Ichigo snapped, "I'm stressed out enough as it is okay? Cut me some slack!"

Andou came between the two, "Hey hey! No need to fight."

The two huffed and turned the other way, "Are we going to start now?" Hanabusa asked, shutting his portable mirror closed.

"Whatever," Kashino replied, while Ichigo nodded silently.

So, that baking practise was tense, neither Kashino nor Ichigo would talk to the other, using Andou and Hanabusa to communicate to the other. Ichigo went back to the dorm room, drained from anger, frustration and just the whole weariness of the day. Dragging her feet, Ichigo kicked off her shoes and fell onto her bed, almost instantly falling asleep. Her last vague thought was, _Oh right, it's my birthday tomorrow._

XxXxX

Ichigo remembered when she was five, her birthday meant sleeping in and waking up to the sunlight streaming in through the windows and creating a heavenly glow that spread across her entire room. She would go down the stairs in her silly little strawberry pyjamas and being presented with a chorus of happy birthdays from her parents and being served her favourite breakfast of strawberry pancakes.

It wasn't like she expected it to happen, but on the day of her 16th birthday; she wouldn't have thought it would be so different from then. Her alarm clock woke her at 6am, the sky was still dark, and Ichigo realized she was still wearing the same clothes she had yesterday. Quickly getting ready, she glanced at the clock, it was 5 minutes to 7, and she would be late for her shift at Salon de Marie. Her stomach growled; she hadn't even had breakfast yet. Hastily running to her drawer she grabbed a granola bar and ripped open the packaging. Taking a bite, she gathered her book bag and cell phone before going out the door.

XxXxX

Kashino arrived at Salon de Marie at the same time as Ichigo, there she was, her hair tied into a hasty high ponytail, a granola bar held between her lips running frantically to make it to work on time. He knew he should still be mad at her, but seeing her in such a busy, stressed way made him realize he was wrong to make a big deal about her being late. To be nice, he opened the door for her, "Good morn..." He tried to say, but she rushed past him to clock into work before 7. Typical Ichigo.

He walked in after her, watching her toss her stuff to the side before tying an apron around her waist. She was rushing so much; she couldn't even tie it properly. Kashino laughed to himself before coming from behind her. He gently moved her hands away and she turned to stare at him. "Baka," He said shortly, "Here, let me do it."

So he tied the apron for her, she didn't say a word. She wouldn't even look at him. After tightening it one last time, she finally whispered, "Thanks Kashino."

He nodded, "No problem."

She shifted her weight to her other foot, "You... You aren't still mad at me, are you?"

So that's what was bothering her. She thought he was still mad at her. "No, I'm not," He replied.

Ichigo broke out into a grin, "Good! That's a relief!" Her stomach growled, "Urgh, what time is lunch again?"

"Do you ever have a proper breakfast?" Kashino asked curiously.

"Not recently," Ichigo answered, about to say more when she was called.

"AMANO-SAN! We need you at the cash register!"

She shook her head, "Never mind, I can wait it out until lunch, catch you later!" Before she left, Kashino grabbed her by the wrist.

Simply he said, "By the way, happy birthday."

She smiled, "Aw, thank you!" And then, she ran off before she could be yelled at again.

XxXxX

Today, Kashino was to take inventory, though he found his mind constantly wandered, finally he just couldn't take it anymore. Excusing himself for a few minutes, he went outside and called Andou.

"Hello?"

"Andou..."

"Ma-kun? What's up?"

"I want to do something for her birthday," Kashino said shortly.

"... Amano-san's birthday? What would we do?"

"I don't know, bake her cake or something? It's like, 2 hours until her lunch break, we could pull it off."

"What kind of cake?" Andou asked.

Kashino smiled, his friend was starting to take to the idea. "Make it... Vanilla with chocolate icing."

It was like he could hear Andou smile, "What? No strawberries?"

"Do whatever you want," Kashino replied, "But it has to be ready within 2 hours, I'll get Amano into the kitchen classroom, we'll surprise her there."

"Ma-kun... Why do you care so much by the way?"

"I don't!" He replied defensively, "I just think she deserves it is all."

"Are you sure?" Andou asked teasingly.

"YES," Kashino answered stubbornly.

"Okay, see you in 2 hours then, I'll get Hanabusa to help me."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just make sure he doesn't add any roses or anything."

Andou laughed, "Agreed."

XxXxX

"Um, excuse me, you owe me two more dollars in change," A customer said.

Ichigo looked up from wrapping a set of chocolates, "Huh? Oh, I'm sorry." She ran over to the cash register and gave the costumer 2 more dollars, "Here you go!"

The customer looked dissatisfied, "Thank you."

"Are my chocolates ready yet?" The impatient first-year asked.

"Almost!" Ichigo said, tightening her pony-tail and continuing wrapping the chocolates. Before she knew it, 2 hours had breezed by. Wiping the sweat off her brow, Ichigo returned to the back room, looking through her book bag for her lunch. "Now where is it?" She wondered.

"Looking for this?" She looked up and Kashino was holding her lunch in his hands, smiling evilly at her.

"Hey, give me that! I only have an hour to eat and I am starving!" Ichigo whined.

Kashino smiled sadistically, "Not unless you come with me."

"What? No! I don't have time for this, just give it to me Kashino!"

"Agree to go with me," He said shortly.

"No!"

He opened the tin-foil, "My my, Amano, this looks delicious, I think I might end up eating it."

"Kashino! You evil meanie!" Ichigo pouted, she stood up and lunged for it, "Give it to me!"

Kashino easily moved out of the way, "Say you'll come with me."

"FINE!" Ichigo yelled, "Now give me!"

Kashino folded up the tin-foil and tossed it back to her. He beckoned her to follow him, "Come on, let's go."

XxXxX

"We've got to hurry," Hanabusa said, "Ichigo-chan and Kashino will be here soon."

Andou looked up from icing the cake, "I know, just give me a few more minutes." He looked down at the cake again and held up a hand, "Now, give me the candles."

"I thought you had the candles," Hanabusa said, slight panic in his voice.

Andou looked up, "No, I told YOU to buy candles before you got here!"

"You never told me that!"

"Did too!"

"Did NOT!"

"Stop it-desu!" Caramel wailed.

"That's right," Vanilla said, she gestured towards Chocolat and Cafe who were bringing in a beautiful pink candle, "We've got it covered."

Andou placed it on the cake, "Where did you get this? I've never seen anything like it!"

"The sweets kingdom," Chocolat replied, matter-of-factly, "No one makes better candles than the candle maker."

"Yeah?" Hanabusa asked, also admiring it.

Vanilla and Caramel handed Andou the lighter, "Better light it now!"

"Why?"

"Ichigo and Kashino are right outside!"

XxXxX

"The kitchen classroom?" Ichigo asked, "Why would you take me here?" She had long since finished her lunch and was crushing the tin-foil into a ball.

"I don't know, it's the first place I thought of," Kashino replied, "Come on." He grabbed her by the wrist, causing the aspiring girl to blush. Kashino walked ahead of her and as he opened the door, he said, "Amano, come here," He pulled her closely, and for a second Ichigo thought he might kiss her. Her heart beat faster and she caught her breath. Instead, Kashino covered her eyes with his hands.

"Hey!" Ichigo yelled, "What are you doing?" She was trying to claw off his hands but to no avail.

"Hold still will you?"

"What is wrong with you? Let me go!"

They walked in, Ichigo screaming her protests, when he let go off her. Letting her eyes adjust to the sunlit room, she gasped. Andou, Hanabusa and the sweet spirits were all around the counter, a beautiful chocolate frosted cake in front of them. In pink icing it read, "Happy Birthday Ichigo!" topped with the most beautiful pink candle Ichigo had ever seen.

"Happy Birthday!" They all cheered.

"Oh my gosh, guys!" She grinned, "You're the best!"

"Aren't we?" Hanabusa replied, "and it was all my idea."

Kashino hit him on the head, "Baka," he turned to her, "Don't listen to him, it was MY idea."

Ichigo giggled, "Aw, this is so sweet!" She gushed, looking at the cake.

The sweets spirits watched her mesmerized looks, "Make a wish Ichigo!" Vanilla cheered.

"Oh right!" Ichigo closed her eyes to think. The boys watched her, lips pursed, thinking.

Caramel turned to Vanilla and Chocolat, "You did get a normal candle right, not those special ones?"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Vanilla asked.

"The candle maker makes two kinds of candles," Caramel replied, "Normal ones, to put on human cakes and special ones for sweets spirits?"

"WHAT?" Chocolat exclaimed, "I didn't know there was a difference!"

"PLEASE tell me that you got the normal candle!" Vanilla pointed an accusing finger at Chocolat.

"You should have!" Chocolat countered.

"NO!"

"ICHIGO-DESU WAIT!" The sweet spirits cried, trying to stop her from making a wish.

But it was too late. Smiling, thinking there was no way her wish could ever come true, Ichigo whispered, "I wish... I was little again." And without so much as a breath in, she blew a little wisp of air that quickly extinguished the little candle flame.

Ichigo stepped back in surprise, the candle began to glow brightly, such a hot white she had to close her eyes. The sweet spirits and the boys shielded their eyes. "What's happening?" Kashino yelled.

Ichigo felt a small tickle in the pit of her stomach, a little giggled escaped her lips. She felt like she was being swarmed by feathers, brushing lightly against her skin. As soon as it started it stopped, the light disappeared. Ichigo opened her eyes, the room looked suddenly so much bigger, her eye level was barely at the high counter top, she heard a visible gasp from the 3 boys with her. She turned and they were at least double her size. "Guys?" She asked finally.

The boys' eyes grew wide and Ichigo covered her mouth in shock, her voice was so high, almost like a five year old girl's. Kashino finally spoke up, he was red in the face, wondering if he was hallucinating, "I-is it just me, or is Amano..."

Vanilla couldn't take it anymore, "I-ICHIGO IS A 5 YEAR OLD GIRL!"

XxXxX

Kashino didn't understand, he just couldn't understand, Ichigo was a sixteen year old girl. She was tall, she was thin, she was... She was not the person standing in front of him. This girl was wearing a pink dress, with puffy sleeves and magenta buttons on the front, frilly white socks and brown slip on shoes. Her hair was short, tied in two pigtails with pink ribbon, it barely fell past her face. It just COULDN'T be Ichigo.

"Kashino nii-chan?" Ichigo asked, blinking her chocolate brown eyes innocently.

_Kashino nii-chan? _Kashino thought to himself, _WHAT? _He stared at her for a good 5 seconds before realizing she wanted him to answer. "Yeah?"

"Why do you have that look on your face?" She smirked, "You look funny!"

Kashino could feel his face turn red, "What look are you talking about?"

Little Ichigo pouted, and ran over and grabbed Andou by the hand, "Andou nii-chan, protect me from Kashino nii-chan!"

"What?" He asked confusedly, "I thought you said he was funny."

"Yeah I did," Ichigo replied, "But his kind of funny scares me."

Kashino growled, "What are you talking about?" He snapped irritably.

Ichigo squealed and hid behind Andou, "Make him stop it Andou nii-chan! I don't want him to yell at me."

Hanabusa sighed, "Geez Kashino, you're scaring her."

"Am I the only one who realizes this isn't normal?" Kashino exclaimed, his jaw dropped, "She's all of a sudden a five year old girl!"

Caramel cleared her throat, "It's our fault-desu," She replied, "The candle was a magic candle, it granted her wish, to be young again."

"Eh?" Kashino answered, lowering his eyelids, "How do we fix it?"

"We have to talk to the candle maker," Chocolat said, "Because honestly we have no idea."

"So we'll be back soon!" Vanilla assured them and they flew off, rather quickly into the oven, the portal to the sweets kingdom.

"WAIT! Don't leave us with her!" Kashino yelled, but they were gone already. "They just don't want to deal with her..." He grumbled moodily.

"Andou nii-chan?" Ichigo asked, slowly moving out from behind him and tugging on his sleeve, "Can I have some of that cake?"

He smiled at her, "Of course Amano-san."

"Ew, call me Ichigo!" She grinned.

Andou sat her down at the counter and began cutting her a piece of cake, Hanabusa sat beside her, "So, what do we do?" He asked.

"All we can do is watch her," Andou replied slowly, placing a slice of cake in front of Ichigo, who happily began to eat it.

"Just keep an eye on her?" Hanabusa said leisurely, "That can't be too hard..."

"Wait," Kashino interrupted, cutting off Hanabusa's own sentence.

The green-haired boy frowned, "What? Why did you cut me off?"

"Ichigo's lunch break ends in half an hour," Kashino continued, "Someone's going to have to fill in her shift!"

Hanabusa pursed his lips together, "Then go Kashino."

"No way, I already worked my half-day shift today, I'm not going back." He crossed his arms and scowled at his roommate.

"Well, I'm not going!" Hanabusa replied.

"I already worked today, meanwhile you've done nothing, take her shift!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"STOP FIGHTING!" Ichigo screamed, her big brown eyes glistening with tears, she jumped off her chair and grabbed Hanabusa's hand, "Please don't fight Hanabusa nii-chan."

Freezing at the sight of a five-year old Ichigo start to cry, Hanabusa closed his mouth shut. Reaching down, he patted her head, "I'm sorry Ichigo, no more fighting, I promise."

The little girl rubbed her eyes, "Really?"

"Yes," Standing up straight, he sighed, "Fine, I'll take her shift, I'll be back soon, okay Ichigo?"

"Yes Hanabusa nii-chan," She grinned. After he had left, she lowered her eyes and glared at Kashino, "What's wrong with you?" She asked finally, crossing her arms.

Kashino stared at her with surprise, "What's wrong with me? I'm not the 5 year old here!"

Ichigo took a step back, "You're mean Kashino nii-chan! You fight with everyone and you keep yelling at me! Andou nii-chan, make him stop it!" She stomped her foot on the ground dramatically.

Kashino huffed, "PLEASE. Just because you're little, doesn't mean I'm going to be nicer to you!"

Ichigo sniffed, "Andou nii-chan! He's being really mean!" Tears filled her chestnut coloured eyes.

"Kashino!" Andou gasped, "Don't make her cry!"

"She's just Amano for crying out loud," He argued, this was really a bad day for him, "Just because she's little doesn't mean that I have to..."

Ichigo screamed, "KASHINO NII CHAN YOU MEANIE!" She sat on the ground throwing a tantrum, screaming her little head off.

"Ichigo!" Andou tried to pull her up, "Don't do that!"

"NO! MAKE KASHINO NII-CHAN STOP BEING A BIG BULLY!" She screamed, refusing to move and continued screaming.

"Kashino!" Andou yelled, "Tell her you're sorry!"

"No!" He snapped, "Geez, she's just being an annoying little kid!"

"You're the one acting like the kid!" Andou argued back, as Ichigo crawled over and latched herself around his leg, trying to shake her off he said again, "Apologize to her!"

Kashino scowled, "AMANO. I'm sorry, okay? Stop crying!"

She looked up at him, "BAKA!"

"How do you even know that word?" Kashino asked, "A five year old should not..."

Ichigo frowned, "You're a bully, you know that Kashino nii-chan?"

"Well, what do you want me to do?" He snapped.

"Kashino! You don't snap at little girls!" Andou reminded him, exasperated by his friend's annoying attitude towards the young girl.

"How do you treat a little girl then? I don't know!" He yelled at his friend, stressed, unable to comprehend how to handle a little child.

"You need to be calm and gentle, they don't appreciate screaming, annoying people."

"You're calling me annoying," Kashino interrupted, scowling.

"And don't interrupt them," Andou continued, "Ichigo, Kashino wants to start over, will you let go of me and talk to him?"

The little girl looked up at him, "Fine, but if he's mean again you have to hit him."

"No! Hitting is bad Ichigo!"

"Well, shouldn't bad people get what they deserve?" She asked curiously, "Like in the power puff girls! They beat up the bad guys!"

"That's not right though," Andou told her, "You need to be nice to people, even if they aren't nice to you."

"Well, that's stupid," Ichigo let go of him and crossed her arms.

Andou sighed, "At least say something to him."

"Kashino nii-chan," She said flatly, "Hi."

He stared at her, he never liked little kids, he never would, how was he supposed to do this? "Hi... Amano."

"ICHIGO," Ichigo replied, "Amano sounds ugly."

"It's your last name though," Kashino replied lamely.

"Then call me by my first name, I don't like my last name."

"But..." Kashino began.

"Kashino," Andou reminded him.

"Ichigo, I'm sure Andou has stuff to do, why don't you let him go?"

"And stay alone with you? No!" She replied, frowning. She didn't seem to like him at all.

He sighed, taking deep breaths; he didn't want to snap at her again, "Please? Andou don't you have somewhere to be?"

"I have to go to my parent's shop in half an hour," He checked his watch, "Can I please go Ichigo?"

"Don't leave me alone with him!" Ichigo pouted, "Can you play with me?"

Andou smiled, "Well, I have to go to the bathroom first; I'll be back though, okay?" Kashino wondered why he hadn't thought of that excuse to leave himself.

She stared at him, "... Okay. But you promise to be quick?"

"Of course," He walked to the door, "Behave yourself!" He called before leaving. Kashino had a feeling he wasn't talking to Ichigo.

"So... Ichigo. What do you want to do?"

"I wanna wait for Andou nii-chan," She said stubbornly.

"Do you want to do something while waiting?" He asked, gritting his teeth, trying to hang onto the little patience he had.

"Well..." Ichigo thought, a smile spread across her face, "You wanna play hide and seek?"

"Hide and seek?" Kashino rolled his eyes, "That's a little kid game."

"If you haven't noticed, I am a little kid!" Ichigo pouted, "Please Kashino nii-chan?"

"Ugh, fine, you hide and I'll find you." Kashino agreed begrudgingly, "I'll count to 15."

"And no cheating!" Ichigo told him, "No going, 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10!"

Kashino blinked, this girl was smart for her age. "Fine," He closed his eyes, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15... Ready or not! Here I come!" He opened up his eyes and stared around the seemingly deserted kitchen. "Ichigo?" He called out, wondering if she'd giggle in response.

When he was returned with silence he frowned, she was good, too good. "I'm going to find you!" He yelled, and began pacing the room, opening cupboards and checking behind counters.

XxXxX

_Okay, don't panic. It's okay. _Kashino's heart was thudding in his chest, he couldn't find Ichigo anywhere! He'd been looking for 15 minutes now, and the little girl was nowhere to be found. "ICHIGO!" He yelled again, "I'm being serious now, game over! You win!"

No response.

"Damn it!" Kashino hissed, slamming the counter with his fist, _okay, she has to have left the room, I should of told her she wasn't allowed! _Finally deciding she was not in the room, he grabbed his sweater and took off in search of the very much in trouble, 5 year old girl.

XxXxX

He felt stupid, stopping yet another random student he asked, "Have you seen a little five year old girl?"

The first year girl laughed, "Are you okay Kashino-sama? There can't be any five year old girls at this school!"

Later another said, "Is it your little sister Kashino-kun?"

"I don't have a little sister," He had snapped back.

Finally someone came up to him, "Ano, Kashino-kun?"

He turned; it was a girl in his French class, "Yes?" He asked carefully.

"I heard you're looking for a five year old girl?"

He cringed, did the whole school know about it now? "Uh... Yeah, why?"

"Um," The girl blushed, "I found her."

"Where is she?" Kashino demanded immediately.

"Uh, Salon de Marie." He set off in that direction, "Demo Kashino-kun! You should know that she's a little..." She shook her head, noticing that he was already gone.

XxXxX

"ICHIGO!" Kashino burst into Salon de Marie, by this time almost no one was there, although he got quite a few looks from the employees.

"Where's the little girl?" He asked breathlessly.

The girl at the register mumbled a response, "I-in the back room, but Kashino, I don't think you really want to..." But he wasn't listening. Entering the back room, he glanced around and saw a bunch of the workers crowded around the tiny child.

"Do you want more Ichigo?"

"NoI'mokaythanks!"

Kashino frowned, _why is she talking so fast? _His eyes widened, _No! PLEASE tell me they didn't..._

"KASHINO!" Ichigo screamed, jumping up and running in his direction, "GUESS WHAT? All the kitchen staff gave me candy!"

Kashino groaned, "How much did you guys give her?"

"Uh, a lot actually," One of the employees answered finally.

"KASHINO! I AM SO FULL OF ENERGY I WANT TO SCREAM!" The five year old bounced up and down. Kashino felt like punching something, _it was bad enough taking care of a little Ichigo, but now a little hyper Ichigo?_

"What the heck! Guys! She's freakin' hyper!"

"We kind of got carried away," One girl whispered, "She was just too adorable to turn down!" She twiddled her thumbs, "It was always just one more piece of candy..."

"Now what am I supposed to do?" He asked them, crossing his arms, "How do you calm down a hyper kid?"

"You chase them around until they crash, of course." Kashino looked up; Hanabusa was in front of him, a smug look on his face.

"KASHINO KASHINO KASHINO!" Ichigo yelled, tugging on his arms, "PLAY PLAY PLAY!"

Hanabusa smiled, "Wish you were the one working now, don't you?"

"You told them to give her all the sugar, didn't you?" Kashino asked, his words dripping with anger.

"No, of course not, Ichigo's cuteness was enough," He smirked, waving his hand carelessly he said, "Good luck!"

"KASHINO! Let's go skipping! And then we can make chocolate and play tag and..."

"Or you could calm down and sleep," Kashino said flatly, easily resisting all the tugs she was giving his arms.

"NO NO NO NO NO!" Ichigo stomped her foot down on the ground, "I wanna do something fun!"

"I would say sleeping is fun," He replied expressionless, looking up at the ceiling.

The little girl's facial expression crumbled, "Oh no no no!" She exclaimed, "TAKE ME TO DO SOMETHING FUN!"

He leaned down and looked her straight in the eyes. Sternly, he stared at her, hoping that she would finally just agree with him. She didn't. Instead, she stared at him with intensity in her eyes; she wasn't going to back down anytime soon. Finally he sighed and whispered softly, "I. Said. No."

She seemed taken aback that he wouldn't break down and agree to her. "But..." She mumbled, still bouncing from energy.

"No buts," He replied, "Come on." He lifted her up and carried her in a fireman's carry.

"HEY! LET GO OFF ME!" Ichigo screamed. She began hitting him with her fists, but it wasn't really doing much. "LET GO LET GO LET GO!"

Kashino waved with his free hand, "Ja ne."

The employees looked at each other. At last, one said, "Do you think Kashino can handle that kid for any longer?"

There was a moment of silence, before all the employees shook their heads.

XxXxX

"YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!" Kashino yelled at the Ichigo when they were finally alone. "What possessed you to think that you could just sneak out of the room huh?"

She slammed her chin on his shoulder, grumbling she said, "You were boring me, I wanted to find fun people."

"Oh yeah," He snapped, losing his patience, "Because everyone's fun when they give out candy. Damn it Ichigo, you may be a little kid but that doesn't mean that you get every freaking thing you want!"

Ichigo wiggled out of his grip and jumped onto the floor. The little girl's eyes widened and she gasped, "You just... You just..."

"I just what?" He asked, exasperated, "Just spit it out!"

"You just swore... At me." She said finally, her eyes wide and alert.

The 16 year old boy groaned, "You're kidding right? What exactly did you consider a swear word?"

Little Ichigo began blushing, "Y-you said... 'Damn'. Didn't your Mommy ever teach you that was a bad word?"

It was almost like you could see the vein on Kashino's forehead, "Why you..."

"I wanna go home," Ichigo finally said, "You're no fun at all! I hate you!" She screamed. "All you do is get mad at me! I don't like you!"

Kashino said nothing. It was almost like déjà vu. Almost...

XxXxX

"_Nee-san?" Kashino asked. The older girl looked down at her little brother. He was holding a soccer ball in his hands._

"_What do you want?" She asked bluntly. Even if her brother was only 5 years-old, she never treated him like it. She was very to the point and never really sugar coated anything. In fact, that was probably where he picked up his own attitude from._

"_Can you play with me?" The little boy finally asked, placing the ball on the ground._

_His sister sighed, "Why do you always want to play?"_

"_Why are you always on the computer?" He retorted back. "You never do anything but stay on that stupid thing. There are better things to do than rot in front of a screen."_

"_Why you..." His sister's eye twitched, "Just because you're a kid doesn't mean you get everything! Just because you're my little brother doesn't mean I have to do what you say!" She snapped, "YOU DON'T GET EVERYTHING BECAUSE YOU'RE SMALL." She slammed the table, "Leave me alone! You're a freaking kid! Go find someone else to play with you!"_

_Little Kashino stood silent. He eyed his sister with unbelieving eyes. "What did you just say?" He asked quietly._

_She groaned, "I SAID. 'Leave me alone, you're a freaking kid. Go find someone else to play with you.'"_

"_That's a bad word," He whispered, his caramel eyes widening, "Mommy said you can't use bad words, they're bad."_

_The older girl sighed, trying to take deep breaths so she didn't snap anymore at her younger brother. "What word Makoto?" She asked._

"_Didn't Mommy say," He began, lifting a finger to his chin, pondering his thoughts, "That 'freaking' was a bad word when used like that?"_

_She furrowed her brows, "Why?"_

"_Because, you're using it to replace an even worse swear word," Kashino continued, "I didn't realize that your language was so... Bad."_

"_Why you..." His sister replied dangerously, "You little..."_

"_I'm leaving," Kashino cut her off, "It's not like I want to play with an evil, ugly girl like you anyway!" He kicked the soccer ball out the door and stalked away._

XxXxX

Kashino sighed. He was treating Ichigo just like his sister had treated him. If anything, he was worse. The realization of this, hit him full force with guilt. Lowering his head, causing his bangs to shift in front of his eyes, he said, "Look. I'm sorry."

The young girl looked surprised that he wasn't arguing. She had even been ready to retaliate. "You're what?"

"Don't make me say it again," He grumbled, "I'm sorry for treating you like dirt. You deserve more than that."

Ichigo pursed her lips together, "Well, I do." She agreed, tapping a finger on her chin, "It's ncie to see you realized that..."

He rolled his eyes at her. Kashino honestly had no idea how to take care of a little kid. He had never done it, because he just naturally wasn't attracted to small children. He actually didn't like them at all. Sighing, he asked, "So... What do you want to do?"

"I..." Ichigo answered, "I don't know. Isn't it your job to entertain me?"

Kashino was about to retort back, but he stopped himself. "I don't know what little kids like," He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. He stared at her, "Are you still hyper?"

She shook her head, "I don't think so." Ichigo grabbed hold of his hand, "I'm sorry for being such a brat too. It only makes it your job harder."

Kneeling down beside her, "Look, I don't have patience with anyone, don't take it personally."

Little Ichigo stared at him; "Will I ever go back to being myself again?" She asked, it had been on her mind for a long time, but she had never felt like asking.

"I'd guess when the sweets spirits come back," He answered. He immediately noticed the look on her face. "What's wrong with that?"

She began kicking at the ground, "I just... I don't want to be 16."

He stared at her with wide eyes, "Why?"

"It's too hard," She admitted finally, "I... I can't do it anymore." Being a little kid, it was her wish come true. But it was all just an act, inside; she was still a teenager at heart. "It's too much for me to do," she whispered, "I can't handle everything; everybody puts so much responsibility on me. It's too much pressure." Tears pooled in her eyes, "No one has enough time to help me, and they're the ones who always need help." She began rubbing her eyes, hiccupping she said, "That's why I wished to be small again. Everyone takes care of you and you don't have to worry." Tears began streaming past her hands and down her cheeks, "I don't want to go back to being 16."

Kashino watched Ichigo cry her heart out. Just the sight of a little kid crying seemed to trigger an emotion in his own heart. Unsure, he pulled her into a hug. Ichigo clung onto his shirt and began crying harder. "It's too hard Kashino nii-chan."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" He asked slowly, "I never knew."

"You were too busy and I didn't want to upset you." She mumbled quietly, "You have enough problems of your own."

He started stroking her hair, "You shouldn't keep your feelings bottled inside like that, next time you need someone to help you, ask me. I'll always be there for you."

She looked up at him with tear shining eyes, "Y-you mean it?"

"Of course," He closed his eyes and pulled the hiccupping girl closer to him, "Oh Ichigo, I'm so sorry."

"Not your fault," She murmured, resting her head on his shoulder. He picked her up and as Kashino began walking, he realized she had fallen asleep.

XxXxX

He laid her down in his own bed, tucking the blanket around her. She stirred a little, but quickly settled again. Kashino couldn't digest all the things he had told her. Why hadn't he noticed Ichigo was so stressed? He knew she was busy and that she had many things to do. That didn't mean he knew it was too much for her. What was on his mind the most was, why didn't he tell her?

"Kashino... nii-chan," Ichigo mumbled in her sleep, before turning over. He glanced at her, he missed Ichigo. The older version of her at least, something stirred inside of him as he thought of her.

Ichigo. His sixteen year old class mate, rival and best friend. He felt his face get hot, why had he decided she needed a birthday cake anyway? What was so special about her? He leaned back in his chair, was it because she was his best friend? Was it because she meant something to him? Was it because he... Had feelings for her?

Kashino shook those thoughts away. No, he couldn't. He couldn't have feelings for his best friend. That was just wrong.

The little girl whimpered in her sleep, causing Kashino to look at her again. Maybe she didn't want to grow up, but he missed her. He wanted her back, the old Ichigo. But, would she go back to being herself? Would she accept her role as a 16 year old that came with so much responsibility?

XxXxX

"Kashino?" The blond opened his eyes, only to be face to face with Chocolat.

"Ah!" He gasped, almost falling out of the chair. Ichigo was still asleep, but the 4 sweet spirits hovered around Kashino. Almost like bees to nectar. "What's happening?" He mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"We found a way to turn Ichigo back," Vanilla said, raising a finger to her chin.

"What is it?" He asked.

Caramel pursed her lips together before saying, "She has to take her wish back."

Kashino furrowed his eyebrows, "What does that mean?"

"She needs to take the wish back. If her wish was to be little again, she has to take it back. She'll turn back, if she wants to be older again." Cafe explained.

Kashino stayed silent. "It should be easy enough," Vanilla said heartily, noting the boy's dismal face, "Once we tell her, she'll want to turn back again, easy."

"She doesn't want to grow up though," Kashino said quietly, "That's the whole reason she wished she were little."

The 4 sweet spirits stared expressionless. "What do you mean she doesn't want to grow up?" Chocolat inquired.

"She says there's too much pressure on her," He continued, wondering if it was okay if he confided her feelings with the spirits, "She's not ready to take on the responsibilities of being a teenager."

Vanilla chewed on her bottom lip, thinking. "Then you make her," She said after a while.

"Huh?" Kashino asked, staring at the little blonde spirit.

"Give her a reason to want to grow up," Vanilla continued, "There are some things she loves. Some of those things she can't do as a five year old. You've got to stress that point. If she loves it enough, she'll want to go back to being sixteen."

Kashino paused. What might Ichigo love enough to turn back?

XxXxX

The sweet spirits decided that Kashino should try to convince her on his own. So they were headed back to the sweets kingdom for a little bit. When Ichigo awoke from her nap, she looked around. "Kashino nii-chan?" She asked quietly.

He looked up from the book he was reading, "Yes Ichigo?"

"Are you okay?" She asked, noting his solemn expression.

"Ichigo, tell me, would you ever consider going back to being 16?" He asked carefully, putting down the book.

"No." She answered stubbornly, "Even if you say you'll help me, I'd rather stay like this."

"But..." He continued, "There are so many things you can't do as a 5 year old."

"Like what?"

"For one, you can't make sweets by yourself, someone would have to be there to help you," Kashino sighed inwardly, it sounded so stupid. As long as Ichigo could make sweets, even with someone's help, she'd be happy.

"I don't care. Let someone help me then."

"You're going to grow up anyway," Kashino said, looking at the ground, "Why can't you just go back?"

"I don't want to grow up," Ichigo replied again. She was as stubborn as a 5 year old could be, "There's nothing I can't have that I could have as a 16 year old."

"What about me?" Kashino asked, although he immediately regretted it.

"You?" Ichigo whispered.

Kashino never thought he would have the courage to say what he was about to, but if it would bring Ichigo back...

"What are your feelings for me Ichigo?" He softly asked.

"My..." She trailed off before staring down at the bed and blushing. "I..." Her 16 year old feelings began clouding her thoughts, "Well..."

Kashino stood up and knelt down beside her, "Ichigo..." He whispered. He put a finger to her chin and made her look at him, "I like you a lot. I think you're special and wonderful. Amazing, talented and different. I... I love you."

Her eyes widened. Her heart started pounding. _This is what you've wanted to hear forever! _Ichigo's mind screamed at her, _don't throw it away!_

"But, I have to ignore those feelings now," He said, pain filling his voice.

"But I..." Ichigo stumbled on her own words, "I like you too." She admitted, her face turning pink, "Why do you have to ignore your feelings towards me, if I share them for y-you?"

"You're a little girl," Kashino said softly in her ear, "You're just a little kid."

Ichigo's chocolate brown eyes widened, "No way..."

"I respect you," He whispered, "And I'll respect your decision. If you choose leaving behind the responsibilities of growing up over me, I'll understand."

Her eyes filled with tears, "I can't..."

"Please, Ichigo," He took her small hand into his own, "Please take your wish back."

A single tear fell from her eye, "There's too much pressure," She whispered faintly.

"Put that pressure on me," Kashino said. "I know how hard it is to grow up, trust me. There's a lot of pressure. But, growing up is a part of life and it's something we can't run from. Even with magic. Please, even if things get tough, I promise I'll be there for you. I promise. Taking on responsibilities is hard, and I'll be there for you. Watching over you."

"Kashino..." Ichigo whispered. She closed her eyes shut and squeezed his hand tightly, "I... I wish I was back to normal." She cried, "I wish I was me, 16 year old Ichigo."

XxXxX

Suddenly, she began glowing a very bright white. Kashino shielded his eyes so he wouldn't be blinded. As the light dulled and eventually disappeared, sitting in front of him was Ichigo. The Ichigo he knew. The 16 year old girl he had fallen so desperately in love with.

"Kashino," She reached forward and hugged him tightly, "I'm so sorry."

"Nothing was your fault," He said, rubbing her back gently.

"No, it was. I was only thinking about myself. I didn't care about anyone else's feelings but mine. I... I can't believe I hurt you so much."

"It's okay," He shushed her, "I should have noticed all you were going through, I should have cared."

She stared, "But..."

He looked her straight in the eye and said, "I'm so glad you chose me."

She had chosen him over everything. She had taken the responsibilities just to be with him. It had to be a hard decision when she was so pressure by all the things she was expected to do.

Her eyes welled up with tears. "I am too."

He reached forward and so did she. Softly, he brushed his lips against hers. He was about to pull away, when Ichigo pulled him in again, kissing him more passionately. Never wanting him to leave her.

She finally broke apart from him and stared into his eyes. "I will never ever leave you to face your problems on your own." He whispered in her ear, "I love you and want you to know that no matter how many problems you face, I'll be there through each one."

Ichigo nodded softly, "I love you too," She whispered. Leaning in for another kiss, Ichigo thought, _maybe my life isn't so bad after all._

**The End.**

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**Me: There! All done! AND it was 7k words, so I'm just so happy you read the whole thing! :)**

**Please review and tell me what you thought. I could really use the feedback. Was the plot messed up? Did I wander around and drag the story on for too long? I usually can't tell for my own stories, so please give me your input!**

**Ichigo: Mikashi would like to thank you for reading!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


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